Tuesday, June 20, 2006

Sergeants Test Countdown

It's only 4 days away! PANIC! If you've noticed a slight dip in the quality of posts, we've been kind of busy pre-packaging a couple posts when there's time and hanging onto them until we need to publish. If you haven't noticed, well then that's on you.

Anyone have last minute advice for the exam? We know the ones about getting a full nights rest, eat a decent breakfast, review certain orders that are sure to be covered, etc. How about a few answers? We'd be grateful.

IF UR A GOOD PERSON DEEP DOWN, YOU WONT BECOME AN ASSHOLE. ONLY ASSHOLES BECOME BIGGER ASSHOLES WHEN THEY GET THE STRIPES. SO I SUGGEST THAT U GO ON AND TAKE PART 2 SINCE YOU TOOK THE TIME TO DO PART ONE. GOOD LUCK

Drive to the test site a day or two before; is an alternate route available, where do you park, where do you go in...

Check out your car, gassed up, tires O.K., new city tag

Let your significant other know that this is important to you and let you have your space and don't bother me with bullshit (be polite).

Be like Santa Claus...make a list an check it twice, I-D card, test receipts or paperwork, sharpened #2 pencils, alarm clock(S) set, a bottle of water and a really good chocolate bar (my favorite is LINDT brand).

A little sincere prayer never hurt: this is not the end of the world.

Good luck to all who read this, from someone who has taken and passed (not always on the first try) many promotion exams.

Remember you best bosses and your worst bosses and learn from all of them.

Remember the Chinese proverb, be careful what you wish for, you may get it.

Blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. No matter how fixed you think the tests are, you can pass and be promoted. Take it from a white republican....BIggest thing: Answer the questions as a so called KoolAid Drinker would. It is a tes, not a test of a "good" cop. Do what that department expects and what the orders require. If you go to a domestic with a copper, get a CR#. No mater what!!!! Don't answer as if you were working, aswer as if you were working as a sergeant and the inspector was there at the job with you. If you are a desk mouse and only studied the orders, you should not do as well as the working copers with some brain cells. Answer every question as completely as you can. If the question asks you "What do you do in this situation, answer with both the physical things you would do (Render aid, protect scene, etc..... as well as the reports that would be done." This can give them no way to say you were wrong when the college kid grading your answer sheet is looking at it. They are looking for certain things, and the lack of certain things. It is highly unlikely they are looking to see at, if a question like the following, nothing but what they said was answered:What do yo do if you are called, as a sgt, to a scene with a suicide? The answer they may be looking for is: Ensure the paper car notify everyone (You should know who), call ME, call Det, if needed, call Forensic services (I would call E.T., but I hear F.S. is the new term so as no confusion between ET,Crime,Lab,ERT, protett crime scene, notify next of kin...If any signes of life, of course render aid!!!!. I would personally add the hospitalization report, depending on the classification (you should know or will be told what to make it) supps for other on the scene if you have to leave, etc... They may not look for it, but is in there if they are. I did and did pretty good on the last test. Now one of those ugly white shirts. The pit stains suck. Good luck. Take your time, go over your answers, and don't let the clout babies that finish in an hour distract you. Take your time. Don't worry about what other people say the answers are. Go with what you think the answer should be (according to the bosses who make up the teas.) Always try and help a wayword officer, but don't be afraid to CR the officer if he/she fucks up. Remember, this is a test, not real life......Go0od luck to all

there are NO TRICK questions on the exam...they are looking for the RIGHT answer. Try to get a good night's sleep night before although it may be difficult as you will probably be anxious and will not sleep well anyway....Don't read anything the day of the test....they give you everything you need to know , you just have to look it up..if you have any common sense...you'll do fine and get through the test with little or no problems. I personally go through the entire test and answer the questions that I know and the ones that I have a problem with I will go back to later and use process of elimination and if I really am not sure pick the "best" choice from what's left.Make sure to write where its readable because if your answer is sloppy the grader cannot read it or he/she may not get the idea of your answer and deduct more points than necessary. Try to give complete answers even if you write too much in an answer thats ok...just hit all the key points and get your idea across.Lastly....one point can make a big difference in rank placement on the final list so do your best and take your time...read the entire question and then formulate your answer...don't rush...you have plenty of time and like I said earlier..they give you all of the material necessary to answer the questions , you just need to be able to find it. GOOD LUCK to all and believe in yourself...you can and will do well!!

Frankly, most of tbe people who post here are not fit to be supervisors. Even more are not fit to be the police. The overall animosity toward the job, the citizens, other officers, supervisors, etc., is chilling. You guys don't want to do the job, i.e., you refuse to write enforce traffic laws because you don't like the mayor, the offender might be related to a PO, the offender is white (one of us), black (downtrodden by the white man and one of us, if you're black), yet you scream about drunks and people w/o insurance; you criticize other officer's for narcotics enforcement ("one bag wonders") yet apparently do nothing yourselves regarding a public safety issue that disturbs a great many residents of neighborhoods; you criticize your bosses as being "balless" when they expect you to do your jobs and won't take a draw for you because you're a fuck up; you criticize anyone who works inside as being a "clout baby" but you couldn't do their jobs on a bet and you refuse to recognize that if those inside jobs don't get done this job will grind to a halt - granted that too much time is lost generating meaningless statistics that no one pays any attention to and reports that no reads are written entirely to appease the various special interest groups, etc., Yet, in large numbers you demand "more pay, better benefits, more time off, better equipment, more this, more that, and so forth." What do you give back???

This board is so depressing to anyone who actually cares about this Dept and the people in it. The whinning, the complaining, the wanton defamation, the inability to recognize even simple concepts of right and wrong, the general inability to form a complete sentence that doesn't involve profanity, isn't mispelled and uses generally good english (including sentence structure) is embarrassing. The apparent desire of many of you to kill another human being for no reason other than the color of his skin, or his sexuality, or his economic status, speaks volumes about you own fitness to breathe the air.

Most of you people need to learn how to be human beings first, you need to think about the example you set for your own families and your community before you criticize others, before you rant about "do nothing clout babies" or the "useless women", the beast, etc.

The continuous insults between officers of N/S district and S/S districts and the W/S with everyone about who works in a faster, busier or more dangerous assignment is absolute nonsense. It seems that your world view is so limited that you can't see beyond your block, beat, district or neighborhood. Each district or beat or even watch has a rythem all its own and each calls for different skills, different responses and different understandings. Many of you who have worked in the so-called ghetto, couldn't work in white neighborhoods because you don't know how to talk to people who are educated, have alternatives, and know more about life generally than you do. Think of it like one of our new police officers talking to a recent returnee from Iraq about how dangerous the streets are here . . . pretty laughable isn't it. Also, pretty sad. You people don't know the first thing about danger or even how to protect yourselves or your partners. You have no discipline by which I do not mean the minor sanctions you get for not going to court, being late, etc., I mean the absolute refusal by most to "hold the line" - you run into unknown situations balls out with no strategy, no plan, and no idea what you're going to do when it all blows up. Its always be surprising that more people haven't been injured or killed on this job. You don't know how to watch your own back much less your partners. I've seen any number of you at large gatherings such as Humbolt Park, Bud Billikin, Taste of Chicago, ChicagoFest, etc., where you are supposed to be doing crowd control or traffic control, just up and leave your posts whenever you feel like it, fail to return at the end of your lunch, causing someone else to have to step up and do your job or work shorthanded. You fail to come up from your jobs in a timely manner because the dispatcher is picking on you, your sergeant is a jerk, your Watchcommander chewed you out etc., or you just don't "feel like it." You come to rollcall late, your uniforms are dirty or worn, your weapons haven't been cleaned in god knows when and you have those goddamm cellphone receivers in your ears. You a disgrace no matter how many Part 1's you make because you have no pride, just ego, you have no dignity and you really have no street smarts. As the saying goes, you are merely trying to baffle them with bullshit because when the crunch is on you're no braver than the two young female officers recently accused of ducking and running from cowardice.

You all need to get a life, get a grip and realize how the public sees you. How your appearance, your deportment and your lack of respect for your fellow officers and for the citizens you serve diminishes you.

Let those among you who fit none of the above feel some pride and hopefully some of you will recognize yourselves and make an effort to correct your behavior and your public perception.

A somebody who took the test and was promoted as a result of my standings on the list, I somewhat concur with 02:21:20 AM. It is not really about how you would handle a situation personally, they are looking for the correct department-way to handle things. You have to put yourself in the mind-set of the typical department person. In other words, answer the questions the way the department would want you to. Good luck to all!

Why would anybody with half a brain want to be a Sgt on this circus of a department? The money is certainly not worth it. 90% of all who become a Sgt turn into an egotistical asshole. But thats the way of this circus we work for.

And no I have never taken the Sgt's exam and probably never will. And yes I went to school and no I am not bitter. I just cant see selling out. Have I covered everything? Im sure the asshats will let me know if I didnt. Good luck to all the sellouts.

I wish I could just take a picture of all the morons who are sergeants already just because of race/sex(both kinds)/clout and staple it to the test. If these assholes can be bosses, I surely can. (Don't call me Shirley though...)

To all post 7:41 posters save one: I think you've made my point, loud and clear. None of you will make sergeant and each of you will claim its due to lack of clout, gender or race discrimination, lack of time to study, whatever. None of you will credit it rightly to all out stupidity. . .

Just like an educated idiot. You need a manual and a complete set of instructions to comprehend.

Its called years of experience. Most of the bosses lets 90% ( I hope this doesnt mess up your thinking ) would back stab another boss/P.O. in a heart beat just to get some recognition or because they are clueless/balless ass kissers.

There are great bosses out there. The problem is they are far and few between. I have a great Captain to work for. He knows and outloudly thinks this city/department is an outright joke.

I have been screwed over many a times. I do as I always do, just laugh at them and walk away. I could care less what they do and that bothers the shit out of them. I have been written up only once for nonsense. I sign everything with... do what you think is right. I then walk away and laugh. And to this date after almost 20 years I have never taken a day.

Just remember when the shit really hits the fan in this city, most of you will shit your pants. I know what I will do, survive as I always have. I could care less what happends to this city, just like mayor dick doesnt care what happends to us.

You all need to get a life, get a grip and realize how the public sees you

This poster is absolutely correct.

The problem is that our Mayor and his kronies along with the alderidiots have painted a bad picture of us. We just seem to help it along from time to time with stupidity. But that comes from the idiots that were hired on this job that shouldnt of been.

"you criticize other officer's for narcotics enforcement"...should be "officers".

"The whinning, the complaining,".....should be spelled w-h-i-n-i-n-g.

"Most of you people need to learn how to be human beings first, you need to think about the example you set for your own families and your community before you criticize others, before you rant about "do nothing clout babies" or the "useless women", the beast, etc.".....this is a run on paragraph, let alone SENTENCE!

"rythem"....surely you jest!

"your Watchcommander chewed you out"....should be,"watch commander"...two words, no need for it to be capitalized, either.

again..."rollcall" is actually TWO words. Like this..."roll call".

"You a disgrace no matter how many Part 1's you make because you have no pride,"...Let's try,"You're". You sound like a savage there.

I just wanted to point out the most obvious of your errors.

I'm not nitpicking.

I merely wish you to live up to the standards by which you claim to maintain.

"inability to form a complete sentence that doesn't involve profanity, isn't mispelled and uses generally good english (including sentence structure) is embarrassing.".....Sure is, House Mouse!

Oh yeah, so now numbers 324 and on up from the current list are sweating it because 30% of the current list went to morons of all three races, some of whom should be in the peniteniery, and pushed them back. Fuck Daley and his outfit handlers. I hope they send three hundred more FBI agents to Chicago and when they finish with city hall they start with the Department.

Being a Sgt.is great, the money is very good, sell back is great( I hope the p.o.s get to do it soon) It's a totally different job from being a patrolman, when you are out on the street you need to remember that you are out there to supervise people and help mentor younger officers, watch their backs and try to keep them out of trouble as best you can; it's hard sometimes when you hear the hot job and want to race in and get the bad guy and know that now your function is to arrive and watch the p.o.s do it and help out as needed, that doesn't mean don't take action if on-view etc. but as a whole, supervise and not make arrests etc.It also is a position that entails that you take the heat from the Captain about what's going on when you hit the street,YOU are the street supervisor and better have the answers when asked, I don't know doesn't cut it. You get to act as a buffer between the boss and the troops and try to field their gripes and make some improvements, at least as much as possible. It gets better if you get a tac team or got to a unit and get a team, you are then only responsible for your people and can run your own program and take care of your people.Sorry about the long post but I wanted to share some of what the job is all about, it is what you make it, if you were a working copper you will be a good Sgt. for the working police, if you were a dog ass copper you will be a dog ass Sgt.It's a great job, study hard and hopefully you will make it, just don't forget where you came from if you do!!

I saw merit DAWN MELCHER drive by my crib in 2210. Number 1800 on the last list, she has my stripes. Yes I am bitter scored 440. Fuck this department, I wanted to pick up a landscape brick and throw it at the squad car. 022 tac secretary, party organizer and now a sgt. Nothing is legit. Take the test for the law suits. Hopefully the merit list will appear in court. Look at these rotten clout cock roaches, I hope they all die I do my best to sabatoge these bitch hacks. SCC lets have a rant about the Dawn Melchers on this job................... And dont bring up how she ran the Knight(RIP) golf outing yesterday that has no bearing on law enforcement any one can organise a party

440! You should be pissed. Were it not for the 108 merit spots already promoted you would be there already. So imagine how we feel with scores ranging between 345 and 370. BEYOND PISSED...BEYOND ENRAGED. Just plain DISGRUNTLED. The city f*cked us with the merit picks. Now we take this new test in a few days, and what, the new people who score in the 300's and lower won't get promoted. BUT, GOOD LUCK TO ALL.

I agree with the above, as someone who is sitting between 324 - 370 I find it hard not to be bitter about this job and the secretive way it conducts it's promotions. In previous tests, a score of under 400 was a shoe in, but now who knows.

What is upsetting is if you do "work" and have a family, etc it leaves little time to study this nonsense. Yet, I see many office "police" studying on the clock (especially when I attended that stupid terrorism week training) only to be rewarded.

Ask for a straight answer on this job, like is there going to be another sgt class promoted, all you get is double talk and contradictions from Personnel and FOP. Why can't we get a straight answer if everything is above board? No, we will string you along for 4-5 years.

This job is a joke, from the secret study groups that have "subject matter experts" speak to them (what a conflict of interest), to having to know someone to get a spot, this job can create great bitterness about this city and law enforcement.

As for the rest of the police, we find it easier to bash each other than come together and try to have better working conditions, a stronger Union, or access to these special units.

The job will never change no matter how arrests you make so relax and stay safe.

*****Word on the street....Area 4 Deputy Everett Johnson has threatened to dump any tact or gang offciers who don't bring in at least 4 ARREST A DAY!!!!! per car. Thats over 20 arrest per team a day.... Isnt this illegal ?? I thought the city cant have quotas!! I hope chanel 5 or Fox news doesn't get wind of this. I have forwarded a copy of the information to FOP and IAD.

I don't know about the peanut butter samiches, but what was suggested to me during college exams was to have some pepper mints handy while testing. It is suppose to keep you from slacking off, getting tired and keeps you alert while testing. I tried it once and been doing it ever since. I even did it during the written and psyc. test for C.P.D. The regular red and white or green and white works perfect. It really does help...try it.

Why let this shit bother you. Get your check and do something on the side for yourself. Start your own business. Your gunna be pushing up daisies if you dont forget this bullshit. Do you really want to be a sell out sold soul ass kisser? Be yourself.

The city gets 30% of all promotions to supervisory positions, and there is nothing you can do about it. You have to have a positive attitude and go in there with the belief that you will score high enough so that you don't have to worry about falling in the range where you may/may not get picked. For those of you caught in that situation, my condolences. It is frustrating, but those were the rules going in. A hint for taking part II: you must always maintain the attitude that you are the Sergeant when answering the questions, whether they be paragraph answers, multiple choice, or orally spoken answers into tape recorders. Too many people get half way through tests like these, get tired, and revert back to thinking about how they can help out a fellow officer who stepped into s&%t. Remember that you are taking a test graded by a civilian who only checks to see if you are covering necessary points for a given situation. When you stray from those required points and start to think about how to handle a situation like a PO, you will start to lose points, and therefore ranking. In real life, yes, you probably will handle things differently than you will answer it on the test. Just remember, you are taking a test, you are not on the street as the supervisor yet. Answer it like the supervisor is supposed to do, by the book, not necessarily how it would be handled. Good Luck to All!! P.S. To the person who doesn't like Dawn Melchert because she got a 30% spot, don't let it eat you up. It's not worth it. I am aware of a number of situations where Dawn has done the right thing by her officers when they stepped into s&%t, she didn't jam them when she could have done so. Remember what I said above about answering the questions, and you could be working with her next year as a fellow Sgt. Keep a positive attitude.

The poster who suggested having outside interests beside this job is absolutely right. Give the city an honest day's work, but have some hobbies or do stuff that's totally unrelated to police work. If you don't, you'll be bitter as hell and you won't live to see more than 3 retirement checks. Living for this job will kill you if you take it too seriously.

I noticed that you were tripping over your answer. Seriously, your response doesn’t sound as if it results from a serious study of sergeants derived at least from empirical knowledge. At best you’re begging the question. I’m right ‘cuz I’m right. I’m surprised you’re still around. I thought the notorious Class of 1986 had been purged of all of its problem children. You should really think about what you’re saying and work through some of your illogic. Life will become better. Wow, almost twenty years on the job. I had more than that when you came on. I’m still here. On the street. Not nuts.

There are a million ways the department could promote people better than the infamous part II exam. Let me remind everyone your knowledge of general orders or the law that you displayed on part one of the exam mean nothing. Your experience in arresting criminals or investigating crime mean nothing. The moron who barely passed has the same chance as the person who scored perfect. FUCKING RIDICULOUS! The police department is just as clouted as the rest of the city with the exception of the entry on the department. They can't find enough people to come on the job who have clout so they have to settle for outsiders. But hey, if was any different it wouldn't be Chicago!Let me make some predictions; many people who never worked the street will do well on part II. Many relatives of bosses and friends of bosses kids will do on part II. I know it sounds crazy.

[i]"Let me make some predictions; many people who never worked the street will do well on part II. Many relatives of bosses and friends of bosses kids will do on part II. I know it sounds crazy."[/i]

Absolutely correct!

I see the desk crew sitting around studying while I'm busting my ass answering calls. The chicks in the CAPS office are studying, too. I was at 35th st last week to drop off some paperwork and the blue-shirts were all in their little cubicles with study material in front of them.

Just what we need... more desk jockeys becoming supervisors. Everyone knows that people with inside jobs and single officers with no kids have a HUGE advantage over us poor schmucks who have to work secondary employment to make ends meet and then try to keep up with chores and family obligations with the little time we have off. I'm not complaining about it, just stating some facts. I wish I had the time to study for Part 2 of the test but I'm lucky to get 2 or 3 days off a month from work and those 2 or 3 days aren't even enough time to get things done around the house and spend some quality time with my kids. So to you prospective Sgt's, keep in mind that the only thing that makes YOU the newest boss is that many of the rest of us are too busy to study for these exams.

No sir, judging by your skillful use of the English language to advance your theory you would have little problem landing in the top 250-300. Problem is that thirty percent of the promotions go to black, hispanc, and white, typically Irish, morons. As the next few days will show political considerations are at the base of all merit picks. Now is the time for the rest of us to strike while the iron is hot and challenge this travesty. I know of at least three merit picks that would be in the penitentiary if the good policemen they middled didn't look the other way. I know of two merit picks who were submitted by exempt members who were not their direct reports in over two years. Sharky is wrong, merit promotions are not here to stay. And neither is Daley.